Cornell Can Do a Lot More Than Pause Frat Parties

Cornell University has decided to halt all fraternity parties and social events for the remainder of the 2026-27 academic year, following a lawsuit alleging a brutal gang rape in the Chi Phi fraternity house during the previous academic year. President Michael Kotlikoff revealed this decision in an email to the campus community.

The university aims to review the fraternity system thoroughly before determining its future, and has also granted the New York State Police permission to investigate sexual assault allegations on campus. A city ordinance in Ithaca has further curtailed Greek life by suspending new Cornell-affiliated event permits, primarily impacting fraternities.

Cornell is not the first institution to temporarily suspend fraternities due to safety concerns; other universities such as the University of Arizona, Louisiana State University, and West Virginia University have also taken similar measures. However, these suspensions are usually temporary and limited in scope. Unlike Cornell's ban, these temporary bans have been lifted or partially lifted within weeks or months.

Cornell's ban may prove challenging to enforce, especially with the city's ban on new event permits for affiliated Greek life groups. Studies have shown that fraternity members are three times more likely to commit sexual assault against women than non-affiliated college men, while sorority women face a 74% higher risk of rape compared to unaffiliated women.

Despite calls to permanently abolish fraternities due to safety issues, some schools, like Harvard and Wesleyan University, have faced legal challenges when attempting to do so. While smaller, less connected fraternities have been more successfully banned, Cornell's administration believes that permanently banning fraternities would only exacerbate the problem, as it would drive issues associated with Greek life underground.